Ava DuVernay Will Not Be Directing Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’

It felt a little too good to be true that Janet Jackson dropped a new single and that Ava DuVernay got confirmed to direct a Marvel movie in the same day. Turns out it was.

“No Sleeep” wasn’t a fake, but DuVernay is actually not directing Black Panther. DuVernay told Essenceshe considered Marvel’s offer, but she passed.

“I think I’ll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be,” DuVernay said. “Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they’re fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me.

“I loved meeting Chadwick and writers and all the Marvel execs. In the end, it comes down to story and perspective. And we just didn’t see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later.”

It would’ve been a big moment: the Selma director directing a Marvel movie about the first black superhero. But it wasn’t meant to be. It’s more of a loss for Marvel, though; DuVernay still has a great career ahead of her.